Former Ohio State University student health director Dr. Ted W. Grace has surrendered his medical license following his involvement in the Richard Strauss sexual misconduct case that began in the mid-1990s.
A court hearing was scheduled for next week, but Grace surrendered his license on Wednesday under a settlement agreement with the State Medical Board of Ohio.
The board took quick action as its licensure listing indicated that the former OSU doctor’s license has been “permanently revoked” and that the pending investigation looking into his situation has been “closed.”
Grace’s Involvement
The medical board citation against Grace is the first disciplinary action involving university officials who mishandled sexual abuse complaints against Strauss.
Hundreds of male college students claimed that Strauss, who committed suicide in 2005, had sexually abused them while he was a doctor at Ohio State. Some of these students have filed lawsuits against the school. Grace, who was director of OSU Student Health Services from 1992 to 2007, reportedly failed to report allegations to law enforcement.
Alleged victims consider this recent development a small vindication. Steve Synder-Hill, who reported that Strauss had abused him in the 1990s, told The Dispatch that more people have to answer for the trauma inflicted on students.
“Ted Grace wasn’t the only one. There are a lot more people that are out there that can still have punitive action taken against them. There’s a lot more people that need to fall …Ted Grace is just the first one,” Synder-Hill said.